Tie-plate.



m. 655,400. Patented Aug. 7, I900.

- w. GOLDIE.

TIE PLATE.

(Application filed Dec. 9, 1899.)

(No Model.)

Nrs

ATEs

WILLIAM GOLDIE, OF IVILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

TIE-PLATE.

srncrrrcn'rron forniing part of Letters Patent No. 655,400, dated August 7, 1 900.

Application filed December 9, 1899. Serial No. 739,803. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM Gonorn, a resident of Wilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tie-Plates; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to tie-plates, the invention being, generally speaking, an improvement upon Letters Patent No. 540,356, granted to me June 4,1895, and No. 607,847, granted to me July 26, 1898. Said patents relate generally to tie plates having long downwardly-projecting sharpened claws or prongs extending parallel with the rail, adapted to be driven into the tie and to holdthe plate against lateral displacement, the prongs cutting across the grain of the tie. These plates have been found very efficient in prac tical use, though the present invention is be lieved to increase their efficiency in certain points, especially in bringing the hold of the tie-plate upon the tie directly into line with the point of greatest strain upon the tie-plate.

The invention comprises, generally stated, a tie-plate having a rail-confining rib or shoulder on its upper face, some distance in from the outer edge of the plate, and long sharpened downwardly-extending prongs on the under face of the plate and directly under and extending parallel with such rib, the tieplate in its preferred construction also having a spike-hole in line with such rib, and in use the rail is confined against outwardmove ment by such rib, and the downward strain of the rail upon the tie-plate is sustained by the prongs directly under such rib,or approximately at the point of greatest strain, while other advantages are obtained, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use'my invention, I will describe the saline more fully, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the plate embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is an end view of the plate. Fig. 3 is a side view of the plate, and Fig. 4 is a view illustrating the rail as resting upon and connected to the plate.

, The plate is out from a rolled bar of suitable section, it being found practicable to roll a bar suitable for producing the plate and with the ribs from which the prongs are formed located some distance in from the side edges of the plate. The tie-plate as cut from such bar has the body portion 1, provided with the rail-confining rib 2, and extending out beyond said rib the extension 3 of the body portion, which rests upon the top of the tie 4c in the same way as the main body portion 1. In fact, the rail-confining rib is placed some distance inwardly from the edge of the body portion of which the extension 3 forms part, and this is done to obtain strength for the support of the spike against lateral strain, as fairly shown in Fig. at, the spike passing through the spike-hole 5, which, as shown in the drawings, is out through the rib 2, and there is sufficient of the extension 3 outside of such spike-hole, as at 6, to give full support to the spike against lateral strain. The plate has also the spike-hole 7 at the other side of the line with the spike-hole 5, while the inner prongs 9 are located about the same distance inwardly from the edge of the body portion 1 of the plate and in line with the spike-hole 7. The outer prongs are formed directly under the rib 2 because the greatest strain upon the rail is anoutward strain against such rib 2 and'a downward strain in vertical line with that rib, and the prongs therefore enter and engage with the tie in line with the greatest strain'upon the plate. The inner prongs 9 are located approximately under the inner edge of the rail-tread, at which point there is also severe strain upon the plate. It will be noticed that in the preferred form of prongs they have downwardly-extending dicline or taper and that the cutting edges 10 be practically on a vertical line and act first to cut the fiber, while the beveled faces 14 on each side of such cutting edges bend back the fiber, compressing it sufficiently to permit it to pass onto the outer and inner faces 12 and 13 of the prong and pack it so that it will be compressed against the body of the prong and increase the hold thereof upon the tie. It is also to be noticed that above these cutting edges there are the fillets 15, connecting the prongs with the body of the plate.

Such fillets are believed to be of great importance in increasing the strength of the plate itself, especially the inner fillets 16, where they extend toward each other and form in efiect an arch between the two prongs for supporting the plate, thus increasing the strength of the plate at the point where it is subjected to the greatest strain. It will also be noticed that the spike 17, passing through the spike-hole 5, is in line with the prongsthat is, on the same vertical plane lengthwise of the rail. While, therefore, the plate when driven to its place rests solidly upon the tie at the point where the prongs enter it, the spike also holds the rail and the plate on this same line and liability of loosening the spike by a quick upward blow on its lip from the rocking of the rail is overcome, because there is no liability of the plate after it has seated itself in the tie being depressed at the point where the spike engages the rail. At the same time, on account of the body of the plate extending out beyond both the confining-rib 2 and the prongs 8 a sufficient body of metal is provided outside of the spike, as at the point 6, to sustain it against outward or spreading strain. The same advantages of the location of the prongs approximately under the point of greatest'strain and the holding of the spike in line with the prongs are obtained in connection with the inner prongs 9, such prongs being located so that they come approximately under the outer edge of the rail-tread, being at the point where next to the outward strain against the confining-rib 2 the heaviest strain is brought upon the plate.

When the plate is in use, it may either be 1 driven to place in the tie before the rail is placed thereon, being set to the desired gage, or it may beplaced under the rail and the weight of the rail or the train passing over it bringing the plate approximately to its seat in the tie, after which it can be driven down to place. When the weight of the train is thusemployed to seat the plate, such Weight acts more directly in seating the prongs because they are approximately under the outer edges of the rails, this being shown in Fig. 4, where the outer rail-tread 18 bears against the rib 2 above the prongs 8 and the inner railtread 19 is brought above the prongs 9. As

the plate is driven to place the sharpened prongs will cut into the same, and as the dithin,

agonal cutting edges 10 are practically on a vertical line, while the inner and outer faces 12 and 13 are on about the same incline, the fiber will be cut and bent over without crushing it and caused to bear upon the prongs and obtain a strong hold thereon. When the spike is driven to place, it also obtains a hold on the upper face of the rail-tread on the same longitudinal line as the outer prongs, and the inner spike obtains a like hold on the same longitudinal line as the inner prongs.

When the plate is in use, as the prongs are brought approximately under the outer edges of the rail-tread the prongs act as vertical supports on the lines of greatest strain and the outer prongs act as supports against spreading strain without there being any liability of the bending of the plate, which might disturb the hold of the prongs upon the tie. Indeed, in this construction there is no possibility of any such leverage upon the prongs as Would withdraw them from the tie. At the same time through the fillets 15 and 16 the prongs act to brace the plate and aid it in resisting bending strain, acting practically as an arch on the under face of the plate.

The plates can be produced in the ordinary way at no increased cost, and though the flanges extend out some distance above the prongs it is practicable to sharpen the prongs in the way illustrated.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. A tie-plate having a body portion provided with a confining-rib on its upper face some distance in from the outer edge of the body portion, and long, comparatively-thin, sharpened prongs projecting downwardly from the plate-body directly under and exi tending parallel with the rib, substantially as set forth.

2. A tie-plate having a body portion provided with a confining rib or shoulder on its upper face some distance in from the outer edge of the plate, and a spike-hole formed in line with said rib, and long, comparativelythin, sharpened prongs extending downwardly from the plate directly under and extending parallel with the rib.

8. A tie-plate having a body portion and having located some distance in from the outer edge of the plate long, comparatively sharpen ed, downwardly projecting prongs, extending parallel with the rail, and having spike-holes passing through the plate on the same longitudinal plane as said prongs.

4. A tie-plate having a body portion provided with long, sharpened, downwardly-projecting prongs connected to the body of the plate by fillets.

In testimony whereof I, the said WILLIAM GOLDIE, have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM GOLDIE.

Witnesses:

GRACE C. RAYMOND, ROBERT C. TOTTEN.

IIO 

